20-yr-old iKalinga businessman places 3rd in Cordillera Youth Business Pitch Contest

The love for animals combined with the vision of providing enough dairy product supply in Kalinga led Jerald Encollado, a 20-year-old student from Kinama, Rizal, to start his own business at age 19.

While his JE Dairy Farm only began operating last year, it already caught the attention of business enthusiasts that it was cited as third placer in the Regional Business Pitch Competition held in Baguio City on October 17.

The event convened 12 youth mentees who were provincial winners and gave each of them a chance to present their business ideas to a panel of judges.

Jerald, as narrated by the Department of Trade and Industry Kalinga, impressed the panel with his ‘innovative business model and entrepreneurial spirit’, earning him the third top spot and the Green Excellence Award in the prestigious competition of young business mentees in Cordillera.

In an interview with GURU Press Cordillera, Jerald, who is currently taking a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural and Biosystem Engineering, described that the JE Dairy Farm is a dairy goat farm that targets to supply quality milk, especially pasteurized products to Kalinga.

Also, the farm aims to produce quality breed of dairy goats.

Wanting to inspire youth to start own business

Jerald who grew up taking care of animals and livestock envisioned having a farm that promotes good agricultural practices and sustainable and natural farming.

What pushed him to officially start his own goat dairy farm was when he won in the Young Farmer’s Program of the Department of Agriculture and received a total of P230,000 in provincial and regional grants.

“I choose to engage to a business po related to Dairy Farming and livestock production since mahiligak ngamin po iti agalaga iti animals and dito din po kase related yung passion ko on agriculture,” he said.    

The 20-year-old likewise expressed he ventured into business because he wants to generate income and help his parents provide for their family even while he is still studying. He also dreamed of giving employment to other people through his farm.

“[Kayat ko met lang nga] makapag inspire iti padak nga kabataan po, maawis ko isuda nga ag engage iti business,” he said.